End of the Line for Boozin' on NYC Commuter Rail

5.12.2014

By Neal Broverman

Metro-North is closing down its much-loved bar cars.

A vestige of the late 20th-century, the American bar car is now dead and buried.

Metro-North, a commuter rail service that connects Connecticut to New York City, just retired its boozy bar car from the New Haven line; it's believed to be the nation's last such commuter bar car. The Metro-North bar cars opened in the 1970s, but have been phased out as the rail service looks to re-brand and introduce healthier snacks and drinks. Train representatives also say the roving pubs contributed to drunk driving, once the commuters got off the train and traveled home by car.

The New York Timescaught up with one of the last few rides on the bar car, which was filled with male commuters lamenting the end of an era. You can still get drinks on Amtrak trains, but some say the communal feeling prevalent to Metro-North bar cars is missing on the more long-distance Amtrak service. Image via NBC New York